Latest / Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms / #185. Don’t Despise the Day of Small Things: Finding Hope in Zechariah 4–14

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#185. Don’t Despise the Day of Small Things: Finding Hope in Zechariah 4–14 · Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms

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  Steph: This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.
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  Steph: I'm Stephanie Higgax.
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  Steph: Today, we're finishing the Book of Zechariah and covering chapters 4 through 14 Shortly after the Book of Zechariah was written, there were four hundred years of silence before Jesus came as a newborn king.
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  Steph: Zechariah contains some of the most specific messianic prophecies in the entire Bible.
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  Steph: God was preparing the people so that they knew what they were looking for and what to hope in.
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  Steph: enclosed in these passages are some truly encouraging words for you and I as we go about the endless small tasks of motherhood.
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  Steph: The more I go through the Old Testament, the more I'm convinced how difficult it is to live a righteous life without the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
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  Steph: We've seen the people fail and fail and fail God brought the people out of exile And even after returning, they've struggled with complacency and compromise again but God is relentless in drawing His people to Himself.
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  Steph: in chapter four, Zechariah's visions continue, and the angel reveals two very unique lampstands and two olive trees.
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  Steph: The two olive trees represent the kingly line through Zerubbabel and the priestly line through Joshua.
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  Steph: he was formerly introduced to us as Jeshua in the Book of Ezra.
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  Steph: The angel provides a message for Zerubbabel, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord of Hosts.
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  Steph: God is going to use Zerubbabel to complete the work of the temple.
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  Steph: we are reminded along with him that we are to work with the Lord and onto the Lord doing exactly what He's called us to do.
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  Steph: Not by might, not by power, by His Spirit I find verse 10 to be particularly encouraging as a mom.
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  Steph: for whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice."
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  Steph: The people were despairing that Zerubbabel's temple paled in comparison to the former glory of Solomon's temple.
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  Steph: But God called them to trust in His plan and to continue in faithfulness, just like He calls you and I to every day as we care for our families.
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  Steph: When it seems like it's not adding up, or maybe it pales in comparison from what you've expected, or even from what you believe is happening in other homes or in other families do not despise the day of small
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  Steph: things.
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  Steph: Don't work in your own might or in your own strength, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, Trust the plan and the capability of a good God to bless the fruit of your hands In chapter five, Zechariah
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  Steph: is shown a vision of a flying scroll.
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  Steph: And call me crazy, but I'm picturing a giant flying carpet here because the dimensions tell us it would've been 30 feet by 15 feet.
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  Steph: There is writing on both sides containing the commandments of the Lord With the scroll, sin is condemned.
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  Steph: And next, Zechariah sees a basket with a woman inside, and her name is Wickedness.
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  Steph: The basket is taken off to Shinar, which is another name for Babylon.
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  Steph: And then in chapter six, we encounter four more horses with four chariots and mountains of bronze.
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  Steph: This is the last vision God gave Zechariah on that sleepless night.
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  Steph: Through this set of visions, God reveals how he will judge sin in the final days Now we've approached what many consider to be the most pivotal passage in the entire Book of Zechariah.
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  Steph: I mentioned that Meredith G.
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  Steph: Kline has a theory that Zechariah is two panels that are connected by a primary hinge, revealing that the Messiah will be both priest and king.
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  Steph: Panel one included his night visions, and panel two includes his burdens, Let me read to you this pivotal primary hinge in the middle of chapter six.
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  Steph: God tells Zechariah to gather the exiles, and in verse eleven, Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
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  Steph: And say to him, Thus says the Lord of Hosts, Behold, the man whose name is the branch.
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  Steph: For he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord."'"
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  Steph: It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord, and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne; and there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be
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  Steph: between them both, and the crown shall be in the temple of the Lord.
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  Steph: And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you shall know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to this shall come to pass if you will diligently obey
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  Steph: the voice of the Lord your God.
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  Steph: Jeremiah had used that term, the branch, in chapter three, verse eight, and each time It pointed to the coming Messiah.
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  Steph: This is a truly revelatory moment.
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  Steph: Formerly, the two offices of king and priest we're completely separate.
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  Steph: And for the entire history of Israel, these two offices of king and priest were definitively distinct.
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  Steph: But for the first time, God says they're going to be unified.
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  Steph: Do you recall the moment when King Uzziah w- went into the temple and tried to offer fire before the Lord?
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  Steph: He was immediately struck with leprosy, And there's historical evidence to believe that an earthquake occurred at that very moment God has been clear that the kingship and the priesthood should remain separate.
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  Steph: You can think back even to the days of Moses.
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  Steph: Moses was handling the civil issues, and Aaron was called to the priesthood But with Christ, this will be a unified office.
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  Steph: For the first time, someone is able to perfectly fulfill them both As we turn to chapter seven, we find God reiterating that true religion impacts our treatment of others As he describes the former generation that was led into
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  Steph: exile, there's a powerful phrase I've never noticed before in describing the hardness of people's hearts.
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  Steph: Beginning in verse eight, And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, Thus says the Lord of Hosts, Render true judgments.
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  Steph: Show kindness and mercy to one another.
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  Steph: Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor.
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  Steph: And let none of you devise evil against another in your heart."
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  Steph: But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears, that they might not hear.
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  Steph: They made their hearts diamond hard, lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets.
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  Steph: Therefore, great anger came from the Lord of Hosts.
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  Steph: As I called and they would not hear, so they called and I would not hear," says the Lord of Hosts.
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  Steph: And I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known.
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  Steph: Thus the land that they had left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made."'
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  Steph: We've been warned of hearts of stone before, but diamond hard?
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  Steph: This is a piercing description, yet God still loves them fiercely.
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  Steph: And in chapter eight, he says, I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath."
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  Steph: Thus says the Lord, I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the Faithful City, and the mountains of the Lord of hosts, the Holy Mountain."
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  Steph: Thus says the Lord of hosts, Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age.
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  Steph: And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets."
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  Steph: And then later God says, And I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God in faithfulness and in righteousness."
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  Steph: It's amazing that God is giving these words of hope to the people of Jerusalem when they are not being faithful, and they're certainly not being recognized by their holiness at this point.
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  Steph: They're not experiencing peace from oppression.
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  Steph: The elderly aren't relaxing and the children aren't playing joyfully in the streets But one day, this will be true And God's people will worship Him in faithfulness and righteousness.
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  Steph: In fact, Jerusalem's reputation will be so powerful at this point that 8:23 tells us, In those days, 10 men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, Let us go with
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  Steph: you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"
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  Steph: I love this picture, that God's reputation will be so amazing That people have to come check out the God who dwells with His people In chapter nine, rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.
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  Steph: Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem.
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  Steph: Behold, your king is coming to you, righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, The foal of a donkey.
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  Steph: I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off.
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  Steph: And he shall speak peace to the nations.
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  Steph: His rule shall be from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.
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  Steph: As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
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  Steph: God tells the people to rejoice even though the past centuries have included the surrounding nations attacking them.
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  Steph: God will bring peace, but he will do it through a humble king mounted on a donkey Matthew writes in his gospel in chapters 21, verses four through five, This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet.
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  Steph: Say to Daughter Zion, See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday He fulfilled this prophecy.
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  Steph: Many worshiped him, but they would betray him within the week when he humbly laid down his life as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world the blood of the covenant God mentioned refers all
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  Steph: the way back to Genesis, to the covenant He made with Abraham when He put him to sleep and promised that He would make that childless man a father of many nations and would bless the world through him In
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  Steph: chapter 10, we have yet another occurrence where selfish, wicked leadership is condemned through the metaphor of the shepherd.
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  Steph: Therefore, the people wander like sheep.
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  Steph: They are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.
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  Steph: My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders, for the Lord cares for his flock And then in verse six and seven, I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house
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  Steph: of Joseph.
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  Steph: I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the Lord their God, and I will answer them."
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  Steph: Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior, and their heart shall be glad as with wine.
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  Steph: Their children shall see it and be glad their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord Isn't this something you want for your kids?
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  Steph: That they see God working in your life, in your family, and in the world, and that they rejoice and give praise to Him, becoming convinced of His salvation and goodness Listen and see if you can hear what New
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  Steph: Testament occurrence this Messianic prophecy is referring to.
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  Steph: Beginning in 11:12, Then I said to them, If it seems good to you, give me my wages, but if not, keep them.'
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  Steph: And they weighed out my wages, 30 pieces of silver.
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  Steph: Then the Lord said to me, 'Throw it to the potter, the lordly price at which I was priced by them.'
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  Steph: So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord to the potter."
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  Steph: Now Zechariah is prophesying Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
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  Steph: At the time, 30 pieces of silver was the payment for a slave that had been severely disfigured or disabled.
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  Steph: When it says to throw the coins to the potter, this is in reference to when Judas became ashamed of what he did.
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  Steph: He went back to the Pharisees and threw the coins at the temple floor And Zechariah said, "Throw the coins to the potter at the house of the Lord."
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  Steph: Verse 13 gives us another picture of rejection and the abandonment Jesus experienced.
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  Steph: 13:7 says, Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.
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  Steph: I will turn my hand against the little ones."
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  Steph: In Matthew 26:55-56: In that hour, Jesus said to the crowd, Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?
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  Steph: Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me.
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  Steph: But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled."
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  Steph: Then all the disciples deserted him and fled The disciples abandoned Jesus.
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  Steph: But if we're honest, you and I have also betrayed the Lord as we've pursued our own sin, our selfishness, and our own agendas over Him.
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  Steph: But praise the Lord, He does not give us what we deserve, because next we're promised, And I will put this third into the fire and refine them as one refines silver and test them as gold is tested.
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  Steph: They will call upon my name and I will answer them.
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  Steph: I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'"
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  Steph: Though we reject God, He purifies us.
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  Steph: And as soon as we call upon His name, He answers us and claims us as His own Who is this God who welcomes in and purifies those who have rejected Him, And answers those who have ignored His call,
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  Steph: and claims those who have abandoned Him chapter 14 is clearly messianic.
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  Steph: Let me close with a few phrases to fill us with hope and to be reminded about what will happen at the end of days In verse three, "Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as
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  Steph: when he fights on the day of battle.
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  Steph: On that day, his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west.
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  Steph: On that day, living waters shall flow out of Jerusalem."
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  Steph: And verse nine, "And the Lord will be king over all the earth."
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  Steph: And verse 11, "Jerusalem shall dwell in security."
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  Steph: And verse 16, Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the Lord, the King, the Lord of Hosts."
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  Steph: Heavenly Father We're filled with gratitude that you are a God that desires to be known, and that your word contains so many prophecies for your first coming, and that it is filled with clues for us about your second
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  Steph: coming.
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  Steph: We pray we would be watchful and that we would wait in righteousness and faithfulness to you.
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  Steph: We know we need your Holy Spirit to do this and to not despise the day of small things.
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  Steph: When life and the world seem so far from the glory and the joy that you've promised, we pray you would help us continue to do the repetitive small things that elevate you in our homes and in the world.
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  Steph: we pray that our children would see the victories that you're accomplishing and that it would cause them to rejoice and call on you and choose you for themselves Jesus, we thank you that though you were rejected and abandoned,
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  Steph: that you have chosen us and we are precious to you May this truth cause us to be wholeheartedly devoted to you.
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  Steph: It's in your name we pray.
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  Steph: Amen